The Monument Re-opens to the Public

CWO have successfully completed a £4.5 million restoration project to the Monument, London’s memorial to The Great Fire of London and the world’s tallest isolated stone column.

Funded by The City of London Corporation, the prestigous18-month project began on 30th July 2007. CWO was the principal contractor under the direction of Julian Harrap Architects and Structural Engineers Hockley & Dawson. The Monument, a popular tourist attraction and national treasure, re-opened to the public at noon on Monday 16th February 2009.

The Monument, which commemorates the rebuilding of the City after the destruction of the Great Fire of London in 1666, stands at 202 ft tall – the exact distance between it and the site in Pudding Lane where the fire started. Designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Dr. Robert Hooke, the fluted Doric column, made of Portland limestone, was built between 1671 and 1677 and is topped with an eye-catching urn of gilded flames.

The restoration project involved cleaning and repairing the Monument’s stonework, carving four new paterae to the underside of the viewing platform, re-gilding its famous golden orb and adding a new lightweight viewing cage and specialist stairwell lighting.

“We are really impressed with the standard of works carried out by everyone involved in the restoration project and couldn’t be more pleased with the end result. Now that the Monument has been restored to its former glory, this historical piece of architecture and the breathtaking view it offers over London can be enjoyed by the public once again.” Fiona Milligan, City of London Corporation.